City News Room

The Mayor's Message

07/16/2018

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The Mayor's Message - 07.16.2018

A variety of different things going on throughout the City. Fargo Cass Public Health will host a news conference to introduce the Harm Reduction Center (HRC) on Monday, July 23 at 10 a.m. The main goal of the HRC is to help people and the community stay as healthy as possible by reducing disease and other possible health burdens among people who inject illicit drugs.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children, Twin Cities, will hold a FREE screening clinic for children under age 18 on July 17, 2018 at Fargo Cass Public Health. Screens will evaluate children with a variety of bone, muscle, joint and other related concerns to determine if they would benefit from additional treatment. Those interested are encouraged to call to schedule an appointment, as space is limited. That's a great service that is available.

In Inspections: In review, building permits values in the first six months of 2018 were higher than 2017 in most categories. Commercial building, remodeling and expansion totals $81 million, which is $29 million higher than in 2017. New public buildings total $46 million, $31 million higher than in 2017. Major projects include the $16.9 million Sudro Hall project at NDSU, the $11.3 million Deer Creek Elementary School and $9 million Discovery Middle School project. So, we have a lot of commercial and public building projects going on as well.

415 apartments were added totally $43 million, $19 million higher than 2017’s 348 unit total. The average value of an apartment unit was higher than 2017. The only thing that has gone down is homeowners, about 25%. So, new homes have gone down and it seems we are getting back down to the level we used to be at. W used to go at a certain pace and we had a boom the last two years.

Coming up, a series of Libraries Rock! themed concerts for kids are planned for the week of July 23 – 28.

During Navy Week, starting July 23, the Library will be hosting a series of events leading up the Fargo Airsho. There will also be performances by three of the Navy Band Great Lakes groups – the Brass Ambassadors, the Protocol Combo and the Ceremonial Brass Band.

Three telescopes were generously gifted to the library from the MSUM Department of Physics and Astronomy through a grant from the American Astronomical Society. The Sunspotter telescopes provide observers with a safe way to view sunspots, solar eclipses and other solar activity. The telescopes check out for three weeks and are available at each Fargo Public Library location.

Officer Mike Clower directed the campaign “Flag Down an Officer” which provided an opportunity for community members to turn in old, weathered or tattered American flags and retire them in a proper manner. Members of the Honor Guard also assisted to fold the flags appropriately and filled many boxes. Local organizations such as the VFW, the American Legion, Scouts and others were willing to take the collected flags and retire them appropriately.

Chief Todd has heard a number of stories and seen great pictures of officers interacting and speaking with members of the community – especially with kids. With hot summer days, lemonade stands are popping up and the kids love it when an officer is nice enough to stop and chat, shoot some hoops or throw a ball around. Keep up the great work. Sounds like the community likes that a bit.

We have two big events occurring in the Fargo metro during the next few weeks. The first one, the Downtown Fargo Street Fair, takes place this Thursday through Saturday. Whether you’re interested in art, crafts or just great food, this is a premier event for the entire state and I’d encourage you to take part.

The second event is Navy Week, which our entire metro community will be hosting next week. The culmination is the Fargo Airsho, which takes place next weekend. In addition to the Navy Blue Angels soaring high above us, I will be jumping out of an airplane..leapfrog style…with the U.S. Navy on Friday. I sure hope I’m still alive to serve out my mayoral duties for our next meeting. We’ll see, I guess…

Finally, in the workforce we are glad to hear that Mike Redlinger has helped us out. His baby girl, Ella, was born and she will soon be joining our workforce, right Mike?